Address printing device



Nov. 11, 1941. w, T. QLLWITZER 2,261,993

- ADDRESS PRINTING DEVICE Filed July 6, 1940 JOSEPH L. DOEv 125 EAST SOUTH TEMPLE SALT LAKE CITY c-z 122 417 J} G JOSEPH C. DOE

- 125 EAST SOUTH TEMPLE SALT LAKE CITY BY 79% 7 mfmf ATTORNEY-5 Patented Nov. 11, 1941 Walter T. Gollwitzer, Euclidtliolrio assignqr I to Addressograph-Multigraph I Corporation, Cleveland, Ohio; a corporation of DelawaZre Application"July '6-, -1940, Se'rial No."344;244"

7 "Claims.

This invention relates to an address printing device-of the type wherein there is an embossed plate removably mounted on acarrying frame, the whole device being utilizable "in an address printing machine.

Heretofore it has been customaryto slide the plate, lengthwise for a distance asgreat as-its length, beneath retaining lips on the frame until its forward end came into engagement with a suitable retaining device on the frame, at which time a spring tongue on the frame, over which the plate was slid, springs back to engage therear' end of the plate. k

While the described system of mounting plates on frames is effective, enabling the ready mounting of the plates, it is desirable to provide for-themounting of the plate on the frame by materially less movement than sliding it through its length beneath the retaining lips of the frame, thus" increasing the speed with which the plate can be mounted. This becomes of particular importance insome classes of address plates wheresome of the embossed plates on-theframe are changed with considerable frequency,

edge of the plate, the notch being nearer that end by which the plate is normallyheld for insertion.

The result is that the plate may be placed-overt the frame, in engagement withthe spring tongue thereof and beneath one of the retaining lips;

while clearing the opposite-retaining lip, all "by one pressing manual'movement, then a mere rocking of the plate brings it into alignment with itsfinal position with the'top edge'of the plate behind the cleared retaining lip, so that only'a short longitudinal movement is needed to' complete the mounting. H

The notch in the lower edge of the-plate'is' quite shallow, so that it will not encroach on the embossable area of the plate, or present any troublesome factor in embossing the plate in the same area as formerly, The notch is also" made in a triangular form, with one longjside" which presents a very acute angle to the lower edgeof the plate, and with one very short side substan-- tially at right angles to the long side; which'provides an abrupt shoulder'to position the plate when it is first placed on the-frame; After such initial placement the point wherethe long edge.

of the notch joins thebottomedgeof the=plate forms a fulcrum about which the plateis readily rocked into parallelli'sm with itsfinal position;

- other 'end 'o'f tli'e 'plateitheabutm'ent 12 is a raised" :2 a removable index card Sueh an--'arrangemerit* of"plate's--'lias -been found very convenient; form: Stance; connectioir with pay-rolls; the-"upper e'x'nbo's'sable plate carrying the amount; mamadle" platefthenafiie of the-party entitled to payment; and' 'tlie l'ower plate his-address;- Themesent invention, however; is'= conceri-ied" only" with the lower one of'the em-bos's'able plates, which is likely tobe changed with considerable frequency;

In the drawihgi is a -view (which m'ay ba considered an elevatienl of my printing device; comprising" a" frame carrying three" embossed plates and an indeircard, a po'rti'oft of" the" lowermost" plate-being broken away" to disclose a frame tongue behin'd it; Fig; 2' is'a' view of-tlie lowermost plate detached;- Fl'gl' 3" is a View illus' trating-fthe act of placing -thef lowermost plate on the frame; Fig. 4 is irf'the nature-of a-di'agram; on a; larger scalethan the preceding figures, illusti'ating three positions of the -lowerriiostplate as I it is being inserted.

In 'Fi'gs'.- 1 and 3 1- have shown a metallic frame Ill} carrying an index card 20, and threeaddresspla'tes 3i]; lll and-iflf respectively. Each address plate when mounted on the frameis retained at one end by-a suitable abutmentindicated at H, and at the-other end-by a raised lip'on a spring; tongue; indicated' at I2.- In addition, the em bossedplates -are retainedf by suitable portions? of the frame overhanging the-longitudinal edges ofthe' plate', as, fori'nstan'ce; the short lips [3 which overhang the plate' 30 the short lips [4 which overhang the plate-{413, and the short lip" l5 'and thelon'g lip' |'6 "(whic'h is curled over the'f lower" edge of-"the name) which overhang the plate 501" The index card 20 issli'own asretained" by suitable lips and'projections of the-frame,

Itwillbe'notedthat each of the "plates is formed with a notch at each end! as iridicated at 5 land 52, on th"p'la';t"e 50. The 'notc'h"'5 I embraces portions of th'e lzlc ii'ible-lip abutment II, where such abutment connects with"thbodyof the frame: These 'abutments l l are shown as each consisting; of two corner" pockets" spaced apart j and placed 56 back tobackso that they provide raised'portions adaptedtoenga'ge theface of the plate, con'n'ec-- ting portions which may be abutted by the end 5 of 'the pIate-anGaIignedQ parallel "connecting portic'ns' which 'may'occupythe notch of; the plate, all as-set Out in mYPatent No.-'2,115,444:- At the It will be seen that the plate 50 may beinsert- :1

ed in the usual manner; that is, by placing its extreme left end portion against the raise d abutper edge of the plate beneath the overhanging lip I 5, and then the plate is shoved by a continuance of the movement toward the left in a direction parallel with the lower edge of the plate.

It has been found very convenient to carry the frame in the operators left hand, with most of his fingers behind the frame, and his thumb B at the front; then when the plate is grasped by the operators right hand, with his thumb A in front of the plate, the plate is given its initial slightly ment l2 (while the plate isbeyondthe lip ff and by pressure on the plate, pressing back the abutment and then passing the top edge of the plate beneath the lip I5, and the bottom edge beneath the curled-over portion of theframe forming the long lip It, then shoving the plate lengthwise for adistance corresponding to its length until the notch 5| atthe far end engages the fixed abutment l l and the extreme right hand edge comesbeyond the abrupt edge of the springtongue abutment 12 so that the lattermay spring back to engage the right handend, the bracing connection of the abutment occupying the notch 52 However, the present invention which will now be described in detail,- materially, reduces the time requiredforthe inserting operation;

Located about a: thirdof the way; from the right hand end ofzthe plate 50, is the notch of this invention: having the, long edge, 55 Man acute angle to the lower edge 56 of the plate, and having a very short right handedge 51, preferably at right angles to the edge 55. It will be seen. from Fig. 1 that the total depth of this notch is practically the same as the overhangv of the lip I6, :above the plate 50, so that the notch in nomanner encroaches on the region of the plate available for embossing. .Now in inserting the plate, of this invention, the operator grasps it between his thumb and first finger, near the right hand 'end', as indicated by the thumb A in Fig. 3. He then holds it in a somewhat inclined position, and presses it toward the frame in a slightly downward direction; so that theplate notonly presses back the tongue abutment l2 which it overlies but passes beneath the right handportion of the long lip l6 of the frame. At the same time, the upper edge of the plate lies against the frame in the region directly below the lip l5.

This initial placing movement described 7 does not require the plate to be in any definite loca-- tion. It is simply inclined somewhat, and the abrupt shoulder 51 of the notch may be variously located beyond the end of the plate edge H, which forms the bottom connecting portion of the long lip 16, as illustrated at 50a in Fig. 4, or the plate may have a position about as illustrated at 501), in Fig. 4, where the abrupt edge of the notch 51 engages the frame portion I].

In' any case, as the plate is'being put into position, it is shoved toward the left until the shoulder 51 engages the end of the plate portion l1, thenthe left hand end of the plate is swung downwardly causing the point-58 (at the intersection of the topof the notch and the bottom of the" plate) to act as a fulcrum, and the plate thus comes into parallelism with the.

lower edge of' the frame. Thissame rocking bottom edge ll of the frame, and brings the up diagonal position, substantially as indicated in Fig. 3, and then rocked about the fulcrum 58. This rocking movement may be readily effected by adownward movement of the operators left "thumb B pressing .on the face of the plate, and

then after the plate is aligned movement of the left thumb toward the left, or of the right thumb toward the left, as may be most convenient, completes the mounting of the plate.

While I have described the action of mounting thisplate as a succession of movements, it is in reality accomplished so quickly as to be prac-,

tically one movement. With a little practice,

the operator grasps the plate with the right hand.

holding it in a diagonal position, and "moves it bodily toward the frame held by th left hand,

and at the same time moves it bodily downwardly and gives it a slight swinging movement so that he not only initially positions the plate but rocks itabout the fulcrum at. the entrance of the notch and shoves it home, all by one continuous movement.

I claim 1. The combination of a frame having overhanging lips, a removable plate adapted to have its opposite edges lie behind such lips, there being a notch formed in one edge of the plate and comparatively near one end thereof and of sufficient depth to allow the-opposite edge of the plate to clear the overhanging lip at that edge when the vnotch is coacting with the overhanging lip at the other edge, whereby the plate may be initially positioned against the frame behind one lip and in registration with the space behindfacing overhanging lip adapted to engage the upper portion of the plate, a notch formed in the lower. edge of, the plate of suflicient depth to allow theupper edge of the plate to clear the overhanging lip above it when the plate is placed in an inclined position with one end of its notch abutting the end of the upwardly facing lip, the other end of the notch beingso located that it provides a fulcrum about which the preliminarily placed plate may be rocked to bring the upper edge of the plate into retaining engagement with said downwardly facing lip.

3. 'A frame having a curled over bottom edge providing a long lip adapted to engage the lower edge of: the plate, and having a short overhanging lipadaptedto engage the upper edge of such plate, combined with a plate having a shallow notch of relatively short length in its lower edge, said notch having an abrupt end and being so positioned that said end of the notch may provide an abutment-forinitially placing the plate free from the-short lip and= -the other end of the notch provide a fulcrum about which the plate may be rocked to bring the upper edge thereof into retaining engagement with said short lip.

4. The combination of a frame having an overhanging lip adapted to engage the lower edge of the plate and an overhanging lip adapted to engage the upper edge of such plate, and a plate having a triangularly shaped notch in its lower edge, one edge of which notch makes a very acute angle with the lower edge of the plate, while the other edge of the notch is very short, whereby the plate may be initially positioned by direct movement toward the frame and downwardly behind the lower lip while clearing the upper lip, th point where the long edge of the notch where it joins the lower edge of the plate forming a fulcrum about which the plate may be rocked to bring the upper edge thereof into retaining engagement with the upper lip.

5. The combination of a frame having at its lower end a curled over edge to provide a retaining device to engage the lower edge of the plate, the frame having a comparatively short lip adjacent one end thereof adapted to overhang the upper edge of the plate when in position parallel with the lower edge of the frame, and a plate adapted when in position to be engaged at its. upper and lower edges by said lip and curled frame edge respectively, said plate having in its lower edge an intermediately located notch nearer one end of the plate than the other, said notch having a depth not materially greater than the overhang of the curled edge of the frame and being abrupt at the end which is nearest to the end of the plate.

6. The combination of a frame having at its lower edge a long lip provided by curling over the bottom edge of the frame into substantial parallelism with the face of the frame, said frame having near its right hand end a short lip adapted to engage the upper edge of the plate, a plate adapted for mounting on the frame and of such height relative to the frame that when it is mounted in parallelism withthe lower edge of the frame, with the lower edge of the plate lying behind the long lip the upper edge will be behind the short lip of th frame, and a notch with an' abrupt right hand end formed in the lower edge of the plate nearer the right hand end thereof whereby when the plate is'grasped by the operators right hand, and th notch placed adjacent the right hand end of the long lip the upper edge of the plate .may stand below the short lip and clear it after which the plate may be rocked about the far end of the notch as a fulcrum to bring the plate into parallelism with the long lip and thereby place its upper edge beneath the short lip, said frame having retaining devices to engage the opposite ends of the plate, one of said retaining devices being a spring tongue which may be pressed back to free the plate.

'7. A comparatively long and narrow plate suitable for embossing and having in its lower edge a shallow notch, said notch having one relatively long straight edge at an acute angle to th lower edge of the plate, and one relatively short straight edge at the end of the notch.

WALTER T. GOLLVKHTZER. 

